EMBRACE YOU Lone(liness Book Two)(7)

We move all of the baby's things, all my music and equipment and Marcus' research, books, router, modem and computers. After we get all our necessities settled, we decide we'd better move all our furniture as if we're officially moving house - Marcus' dad spots her when he's coming out from our flat. She came back! Of course, we call the police and they talk to her. Once they talk to us, we learn her name is Cara Wells. They warn her that what she's doing is officially considered to be stalking - and, if she doesn't stop stalking Marcus, she'll be arrested and charged with the crime. We learn that she took serious offense to the warning, but at least she left. Even so, I am sufficiently scared that the thought of unpacking and moving into a different home pales in comparison to my husband being stalked.

This situation with Cara has all of us, including my band mates, on edge. Marcus decides he's going to bring me to all my practices and drop me off. This new arrangement works for several weeks - until he calls me one afternoon, shortly before he's supposed to pick me up.

"Johanna, I've just spotted that Cara following me. I'm on my way to pick you up," Marcus says. I can hear the upset in his voice.

"Wait! Stop in a shop parking lot and I'll call the police right now. I don't want her to see where we practice - and I don't want her to know about Lizzie!"

"Good thought. Okay, I'm in that Ikea shop lot just a few kilometers away from the studio. I've got the doors locked and I'm staying here until the police show up."

I report this newest wrinkle to the police, who meet Marcus at the Ikea. They get a rough description of the car Cara is driving. Thankfully, the police have kept records of each of our calls and complaints. They are obviously aware that this is an ongoing situation, so they seem to take the threat seriously. But when they come back to the store after a lengthy search, they have only bad news to report - she's gone. And without a license plate, they can't track her to her home or work.

Marcus comes the rest of the way to the studio once he's been informed that Cara has eluded the police. After he picks me up, we try to relax in Marcus' dad's home. I have a very hard time staying put because I keep remembering Cara's odd-looking friend. Marcus asks me why I'm so antsy, and when I tell him about Mohawk Girl, he agrees that we do need to be careful about each other and Lizzie until both girls have been dealt with. After we agree on this, I feel marginally better. I sit on our couch, cuddling the baby, just wanting to be close to her.

The boys come to our new home and we have a meeting about what's been happening. As it turns out, Laslow is a veritable font of information about Cara Wells. Apparently, Cara went to school with Marcus and developed quite a big crush on him. Marcus thinks back, but he's unable to remember her, even when he looks through old school yearbooks. This means that Cara's crush is obviously unrequited. Still, she managed to track him down to our old flat and she started following him around. We live in Saint Albans, which is just a suburb of London. It isn't a tiny town, but it's a small-enough that, if someone is determined enough, they can track someone else down.

Okay, I'm done theorizing about this - I am seriously spooked! First, she remembered Marcus for all these years. On that, I can't exactly blame her. If he's this good-looking now, how did he look as a school boy? What spooks me is when I wonder how she found out where he lives now and what his schedule is! When I think of our little girl, I am hit with severe nausea. I run to the loo, where I am desperately, horribly sick. I come out after several minutes, sweating and pale. Marcus takes one look at me and immediately heats water for some tea.

I sit down and listen as the boys and Marcus discuss ways of throwing Cara off our trail. We can't live in the studio full-time, but I suggest it anyway. Short of building tall brick walls around our current location and our car, there's not much we can do. We come up with very few ideas. I sip slowly at my tea, wondering what, if anything, we can do.



The next few weeks are nerve-wracking. The police call to inform us that no progress has been made on finding Cara Wells. They filed a restraining order, but her address on file turned up to be abandoned. We assume she must be staying with the Mohawk Girl, but the police hadn't gotten her name at the concert. Marcus and I sneak back into our flat at night to take our Christmas decorations down - we need to make it look like we're still living there. Every time we're out and about, I'm obsessively checking the wing mirrors to see if she or her friend are following us.

One day, I'm in at Saint Albans Grocery, buying groceries we need. I have Lizzie loaded in a baby-snuggler tied around me. I'm pushing my cart of groceries back to the car. It's now a habit for me to look everywhere when I go inside or go back outside in public. I spot Cara when I'm leaving the market. I immediately go back into the store, cart and all. I tell the store manager what's happening, then I call the police. While I'm waiting for them to show, I remember - I drove Marcus' car! That's how she tracked me down! I call Marcus and tell him I'm going to be slightly delayed getting home. I peer out the shop window, looking for the police.

Finally, they show, but Cara has already fled and they are unable to find her. Once I know she's gone, I load my groceries and Lizzie into the car and drive home - fast. I ignore the speed limits. I just want to be at home and in Marcus' arms. When I tell him that she tracked me down by looking for his car, he's not surprised - he's disgusted, but not surprised.